Other TonePrints by Uwe Hassbecker

About

TC: Who inspired you over the years when you were creating your own personal guitar tone?
Uwe: I taught myself how to play the guitar. In East Germany you were not able to listen to Western music, but there were always ways. In a town called Halle, we could receive the radio station NDR. This station often broadcasted live concerts and on one special day they played the great Freddie King; I was really fascinated by his playing. Thank god, I recorded that concert with my old trusty magnetic band recorder. After that I tried to play like my heroes, listening to Santana, Jeff Beck and Al Di Meola. When you get older, the inspiration fades a bit, because you want to create your own thing. But basically that’s still a mash-up of the music you listened to over the years.

TC: What are the main ingredients in your tone in terms of effects (e.g. chorus, flanger, delay, etc.)?
Uwe: It depends on the song and the sound you want to achieve. For riffs, I like to have the sound as direct as possible. But when it comes to harmonies, I like to use a good compressor; this can be a pedal or a studio effect. I like to use my old and trusty TC Electronic Sustainer / Parametric EQ from the 80s; which gives a great compression. It’s really a matter of which sound you want for a song. There is no overall recipe.

TC: Have you ever been so inspired by a tone you created that you ended up writing a tune based on ideas triggered by that specific tone?
Uwe: I always say that every new guitar and every new effect pedal comes with a new built-in song. When you are playing with a new pedal, you tweak the knobs and suddenly a new sound inspires you.

TC: Do you work on developing your tone continuously, or do you feel that you have found a fundamental tone that defines you?
Uwe: As a professional musician, you are always looking for new sounds and new gear to fulfill your dream of the perfect sound. My quest has not ended yet (laughs)

TC: What inspired you when you created your TonePrints?
Uwe: It was great to dive into the world of parameters. I had a lot of fun trying out different things that I’m not able to do with other effect pedals. I even created a chorus sound with my Shaker pedal... (laughs)

TC: You had access to a lot of different parameters that you could tweak. Did any new ideas for future tones pop up in the process?
Uwe: Yes, as I said before, new gear means new inspiration, I’m quite sure that you will hear some great examples on the new Silly record.

TC: Do you prefer having access to many parameters, or do you like simple pedals with just a few knobs better?
Uwe: It depends on the situation. In the studio, I like more options and parameters. I have a big setup when I play live, but I want to have the possibility to react as fast as possible, so I keep it a bit simpler on stage.

TC: How come you signed up for creating your own personal TonePrint?
Uwe: I always used gear from TC Electronic throughout my career, so when I was asked, I felt honored and said yes - of course.

TC: In your opinion, what is the single coolest thing about TonePrints?
Uwe: If you play around with a pedal and find a great tone, you can store it and share it with your fans and fellow musicians around the world.